Florida school security monitor accused of bringing gun to campus
NORTH LAUDERDALE, Fla. Jan 17 2021— A Florida campus security monitor is accused of bringing a loaded gun to a middle school campus, authorities said.
Jennifer Melo, 33, was charged with possession of a firearm on school property, a third-degree felony, the Sun-Sentinel reported. She was released on $3,500 bail, according to the newspaper.
Melo who works at Silver Lakes Middle School in North Lauderdale, left her gun in a backpack on the front passenger seat of her vehicle Wednesday morning, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
An area security manager said he had received a report that Melo had arrived on campus with the weapon, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Melo allowed a school district employee and a school district detective to search her vehicle and backpack, the newspaper reported.
Only law enforcement personnel and school guardians trained by the sheriff’s office are allowed to have firearms on campus, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Melo, who has worked for the Broward County School District since October 2019, was reassigned pending a review of her case, according to district spokesperson Kathy Koch.